GUSAU, Nigeria — Police in Zamfara State have arrested a 22-year-old man over a viral video showing uniformed youths chanting threats against Christians in Enugu and Jos.
The arrest follows an investigation by PRNigeria, which found no indications that the footage had been generated using artificial intelligence but could not initially verify the identities or organisational affiliations of those appearing in it.
Umar Ibrahim Gandi Maradun was taken into custody after leaders of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), an Islamic organisation, handed him over to the police.
The Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, Ahmad M. Bello, confirmed the development at a news briefing in Gusau on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
According to Channels Television, preliminary police findings indicate that the recording was made in Maradun Local Government Area, where the suspect was participating in activities connected with security arrangements for Friday prayers.
The police said Maradun had joined JIBWIS in 2025, although the organisation’s leadership has denied authorising or endorsing the statements made in the video.
Fact-Check Finds No Evidence of AI Generation
Before the arrest was announced, PRNigeria published a fact-check examining claims that the individuals in the recording belonged to Yan Agaji, a volunteer group affiliated with JIBWIS.
The footage showed a young man leading boys and teenagers in uniformed marching exercises while chanting in Hausa.
According to translations accompanying the recording, the chants included calls for assault rifles to attack Christians during Sunday worship in Enugu and references to further killings in Jos, Plateau State.
The video circulated on X, attracting more than 522,000 views, 946 comments, and 2,700 reposts, according to PRNigeria.
According to a translator, this person is saying:
He should be given AK47
He would then go to Enugu
The land of the infidels
On Sunday when they are worshiping and clapping
He would then open fire
Rudu dududup (sound of gun)
So that he can klll the infideelsHe asked to be given AK47 again
So that he can go to Jos
And klll more infiddels
That is the training@OfficialDSSNG
@PoliceNG— Lere Olayinka – Aresa 1 (@OlayinkaLere) October 25, 2026
To assess whether the recording was synthetic, the fact-checking organisation examined individual frames using InVID and analysed the footage with Hive Detector and other digital verification tools.
Its examination included checks for inconsistencies in facial movements, lighting, shadows, audio, and possible artificial intelligence watermarks.
The investigators reported finding no evidence that the recording had been produced using AI.
However, the analysis did not establish the recording’s original date, location, or the identities of those involved.
The investigators also said metadata that could have helped establish the footage’s origin was unavailable after its circulation on social media.
The absence of detected AI manipulation did not, by itself, prove that every claim made about the video was accurate.
JIBWIS Denies Authorising Threats
PRNigeria also examined allegations linking the participants to Yan Agaji, the humanitarian and first-aid volunteer organisation associated with JIBWIS.
The group provides assistance at religious gatherings, helps manage crowds, and supports pilgrimage activities.
Although the uniforms in the recording resembled those worn by its volunteers, PRNigeria initially found insufficient evidence to establish that the individuals belonged to the organisation.
Ahmad Muhammad, the national publicity secretary of JIBWIS, told PRNigeria that differences in the positioning of shoulder lanyards raised questions about the uniforms.
“Even the uniform is not entirely consistent with ours. For example, we usually carry our shoulder lanyard on the left, but these guys are carrying theirs on the right side. We don’t know them, and we rebuke them totally,” Muhammad said.
The subsequent police investigation identified Maradun as a JIBWIS member, providing information that had not been established during PRNigeria’s earlier verification.
The organisation has nevertheless maintained that the threats were not made with its approval.
Its national chairman, Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau, condemned the statements and called on security agencies to investigate the recording.
Bala Lau said threats against religious communities were incompatible with JIBWIS’s stated principles and activities.
He also maintained that wearing an organisation’s uniform did not necessarily establish that a person was acting with its authorisation.
Christian Leaders and Rights Groups Demand Investigation
The Christian Association of Nigeria called for an independent investigation into the footage and urged security agencies to assess possible threats to places of worship.
In a statement issued by its president, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, the association described the chants as “chilling and utterly unacceptable”.
CAN asked the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force, and other relevant authorities to identify those responsible and determine whether anyone had organised, financed, or encouraged the activity.
It also expressed concern about the involvement of children in the recording.
Amnesty International Nigeria similarly condemned the apparent exposure of children to messages advocating religious violence.
The human rights organisation called for an examination of the activities depicted in the footage and appropriate safeguards for the minors involved.
PRNigeria also interviewed security and counterterrorism specialist Zakariyau Mukthar, who questioned whether the language used in the recording was consistent with the teachings and established activities of JIBWIS.
Mukthar suggested that the video could have been staged to encourage religious hostility ahead of Nigeria’s forthcoming elections.
That suggestion was not independently substantiated.
Police Investigate Possible Criminal Offences
Bello said the Zamfara police had identified two Islamic schools whose pupils appeared in the recording: Nurul Islam Islamiya and Akidatul Sahiha Islamiya, both in Maradun.
Investigators are examining the circumstances in which the video was recorded and the suspect’s alleged role in the chants.
The police said possible offences under consideration included incitement to violence, disturbance of public peace, and criminal intimidation.
Maradun is expected to face prosecution if the investigation establishes sufficient grounds for criminal charges.
The police also urged members of the public to avoid spreading unverified information capable of increasing religious tensions.
The arrest establishes that investigators have identified and detained a suspect, but it does not establish that JIBWIS’s leadership authorised the threats or that other members of the organisation participated in planning them.
PRNigeria’s technical findings likewise establish only that its examination detected no signs of AI generation.
The police investigation is continuing.
